ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Lent 2015
Over the next six weeks of lent, the main article of the newsletter will be a lenten reflection written by someone from our community. This week I'm honored to have Mick Colananni write for us. Mick is a Truett Student and serves as a resident chaplain at Baylor.
Brokenness Becoming Beauty
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18
As I have grown into the community of UBC, one thing that has equally grown into me is the middle line of our weekly benediction: embrace beauty. The intentionality of UBC to tear down the barriers between the sacred and the secular has opened my eyes to God’s work in places I would not have even thought to explore.
As we continue our journey together during this season of Lent, we are encouraged to stop and reflect upon the reality of sin. We are a broken people living in a broken world. Anxiety and humility heighten when we realize the depth and pervasiveness of our brokenness. We are naturally tempted only to embrace the things that are currently beautiful in order to shield ourselves from the presently ugly and mangled brokenness that is our own souls and community.
However, Lent is a period of preparation. We intentionally look into the humiliating horror of our own tragic brokenness in order to prepare our hearts and minds to look upon the horror of the Cross. This season is about petitioning the Spirit to search our souls to reveal the places in which we still stubbornly believe the message of the cross is foolishness. It is precisely in these places where our hearts still cry, “God, how can you possibly redeem this?!”
At UBC, we recently were forced to look upon our flaws and struggles with the circumstances surrounding our finances. Many, including myself, were caught off guard by the brokenness that was uncovered by these series of events. The temptation is to point the finger and assign blame in an effort to explain it all away, but our communal brokenness runs deeper than finances and church polity shortcomings. It rends our very souls, as individuals and as a community. If we honestly look upon this collective brokenness, we are tempted to ask, “God, how can you possibly redeem this?!”
As a community, I believe the Spirit is challenging us to face our brokenness and trust that the message of the cross is not foolishness. This message declares that at the Cross, brokenness is becoming beauty. UBC, may we be a community that embraces our brokenness because the message of the cross tells us in doing so, we embrace beauty.
Day Light Savings
This is a friendly reminder that we set our clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night.
Spring Break Trip(s)
Please be in prayer for all the UBCers who will be traveling over spring break. Also, please for those going on our backpacking trip. We are asking prayer for their safety and that they would be formed in the image of Jesus through their time spent together.
Franklins BBQ Spring Break Trip
On Wednesday, March 11th, we will be taking a trip to Franklin BBQ in Austin for those of you still in town over Spring Break. This trip is for ALL AGES. If you are unaware of Franklin, check out this piece from Anthony Bourdain... http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/anthony-bourdain/video/austin-s-franklin-barbecue... (Note: If you have given up meat for Lent, DO NOT click on the previous link, as it will cause you to backslide.)
We will meet at the UBC parking lot at 6:30 a.m. and carpool to Austin. If you are able to drive, that would be great. If you are unable to drive, please be prepared to give your driver a few dollars for gas. Everyone will also need to bring a chair to sit on during the wait and your beverages of choice to drink as we wait. (We'll bring a couple of coolers.) Check out the menu at http://franklinbarbecue.com/menu/ for an idea of prices.
If you are interested in coming, please email craig@ubcwaco.org, or sign up in the lobby after church on Sunday.
UBC Financial Status as of: Feb. 28, 2015
THE PLAN: Our fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015) budget is $353,126. Fixed expenses (staff salaries, and building and office expenses) accounts for $302,441, or 85.6% of the total, and ministry expenses (the many things our church does for our community and for those who attend) accounts for $50,685 or 14.4%.
OUR EXPENSES: February was the eighth month of our fiscal year; so, we are two-thirds, or 66.7%, through the year. As of the end of February, we have spent nearly $198,000, which is about 56% of our budget. While this appears we are not spending as much as we had planned, our expenditures are not, in fact, evenly spread across the year. There are some obligations that will need to be paid before the end of our fiscal year.
OUR INCOME: Our income from tithes and offerings through the end of February totals $198,719. If our requirements were evenly spread across the year (which, as mentioned above, is not the case, but the assumption helps to gauge how we’re doing), we would have needed $235,417 at this point in the year. So, we are about $37,000 behind. But, we also receive other income through building rental, the garage sale, and some designated gifts. If we add that other income in, we are still about $17,000 behind.
OUR STATUS: UBC’s cash balance is currently about $41,000, with another $81,000 in savings. We are fortunate that we have no debt. So, we have the cash to meet a little less than two month’s expenses without dipping into savings. In other words, we rely heavily on weekly tithes and offerings.
Work is Worship
Greeters: Evie & Kareem
Coffee Makers: Emmy & Steve
Mug Cleaners: Haines
Shutdown Team: Golden Glitter Girls
Announcements:
Sunday Sermon Text: Exodus 20:1-17
Our next town hall is March 22nd after church.
UBC families at the Soccer Field, Sunday March 29th @ 12:00 PM. Email josh@ubcwaco.org for more information.
Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?:
254 366 9779
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Teri Walter: terijan@gmail.com
Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com
Kristin Dodson: kschwebke@prodigy.net
Kaley Eggers: kaley.eggers@gmail.com
David Wilhite: david_wilhite@baylor.edu
Byron Roldan: Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
Tom Haines: thomas_haines@baylor.edu
Josh McCormick: Josh.McCormick@dwyergroup.com
Chris Kim: chris_kim@alumni.baylor.edu
Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Maxcey Blaylock: maxceykite@gmail.com
Mathew Crawford: mathewcrawford@yahoo.com
Callie Schrank: Callie_Schrank@baylor.edu
Jeff Walter: jeff_walter@baylor.edu
Michael Heins: mheins@hot.rr.com